Surgical retractors are commonly used by surgeons to separate the edges of a surgical incision or wound. Such instruments are also utilized to restrain the organs and tissues of a patient undergoing surgery so that body parts under the surgical incision may be more readily accessed. Most retractors employ one or more curved, hooked or angled steel blades attached to a handle that is manipulated during surgery by the surgeon or other medical personnel.
Recently, surgical retractors have been improved by the use of lighting systems that are mounted to the retractor blades. In such products, a light projecting element is typically attached to the blade and light is supplied to that element by a fiberoptic illuminator and interconnected fiberoptic cable. Such lighting systems illuminate the surgical site so that surgery is facilitated and improved surgical results are achieved.
Conventional illuminated surgical retractors exhibit various drawbacks. Most such systems are not very versatile. Different types of surgery and patients having differing physical features may require the use of various sizes and shapes of retractors for respective applications. The hospital or other surgical facility must therefore maintain a large number of differently sized and configured retractor systems, which can be quite costly. By the same token, conventional surgical retractors are typically constructed as an integrated system wherein the fiberoptic cable, handle, blade and light carrier care not practically separable or interchangeable. As a result, if a single one of these components fails, the entire retractor system must be replaced. This is not only expensive, it can also cause an inconvenient and potentially dangerous delay during a time sensitive surgical procedure.
Conventional illuminated retractors can also be awkward to manipulate and difficult to properly position and hold securely in place so that optimum surgical lighting is provided. Indeed, the need exist for a surgical lighting system that not only effectively retracts surgical incisions and restrains organs and tissues, but also better illuminates the surgical site so that improved surgical results are achieved.